People Want the Real You

Interesting how when I’m thinking about something — like how I need to get more ‘real’ [curate less/create more] — Google Reader delivers all kinds of great information along those lines. I redid the look and feel of my blog this weekend with more transparency in mind. Then I find this from Chris Brogan this morning:

There are many ways in which we somehow tumble into being someone other than our true self:

We are worried about how the culture around us will react.

We lack enough self confidence to not care what others think.

We perceive that our livelihood depends on the way we dress and speak and act. (And it certainly does to some extent.)

We’ve tried being ourselves once ever in one specific situation, and someone said something unkind about it and now you’ve decided that this singular experience is now the “avatar” of any time you might ever decide to be yourself in the future, so why bother anyway? (phew)

Sometimes, we really can’t be ourselves. If you are a nudist and a fry cook at McDonalds, you’ll probably find it hard to express that particular passion (besides – ouch!). Other times, we probably could be ourselves, but maybe we’ve forgotten to do so for some reason. Most times, though, it’s because we’re chicken for some reason or another.

Men, for instance, hate showing their weakness. Women sometimes have to struggle with the “when men do it, they’re considered ‘tough’ and when women do it, they’re a bitch” problem. Most people hate to show their ignorance. These are all valid and true feelings. But I have to ask anyway: what’s stopping you from being who you really are?” Go to the source to get the rest:People Want the Real You.